Freedom comes at a cost
For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:18
God loves us so much that he sent his one and only son to die on the cross in our place so we may live in absolute freedom. Because He loves us, He paid the price so we don’t have to. Sometimes it’s easy to brush off this statement: He died for us so that we may live.
It can be easy to minimize what God did for us. If we are not careful, we may look at other things God did and said just as casually. God said, “Do not lie.” However, we may often tell ourselves, “Well, it’s just a small lie.” We may say to ourselves, “I lied so I don’t hurt their feelings,” or “I lied because I don’t want to argue,” etc. Whatever the reason, we can find ourselves justifying what we do. It becomes a slippery slope of justifying an action we know is wrong. Satan’s greatest deception began with, “Did God really say?” We do the same thing when we try to justify our sin, and it can be subtle. This can lead us to become someone we no longer recognize, and we feel like we can’t see a way back.
For those who have experienced Christ’s forgiveness, it’s easy to lose sight of Christ in times like these. However, Christ will never leave us or forsake us. Even if we stray away from God, He will always bring us back.
Because Christ was tempted as we are, he is able to help us in our moments of weakness. Even if we don’t see a way back, Christ can carry us further than we can imagine. He will lead us out of temptation and beside still waters, as David writes in Psalm 23. He is always stronger than our weakest moments.
This week, let’s pray that Christ comes into our lives and carries us through our moments of temptation.